News
April 2, 2020Capital Region BOCES Joins Forces with Cohoes, Mohonasen, Bethlehem and Schalmont Schools to Aid First Responders in the COVID-19 Battle
Capital Region BOCES in partnership with numerous Albany area schools provided much-needed supplies to those doing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recent donations followed a similar effort BOCES led with its education partners in Schoharie County for first responders and a hospital there.
In the latest effort, BOCES gathered supplies from its own Adult Practical Nursing, Auto Body, Cosmetology and Two-Year Sequence of Health Careers programs, as well as Cohoes, Mohonasen, Bethlehem and Schalmont schools to help area hospitals and first responders.
Dozens of boxes of gloves, N-95 masks, gowns, thermometers, face shields, disinfecting wipes, alcohol wipes, surgical masks, gowns, hand sanitizer and more were donated to Albany County Emergency Management, Schenectady County Emergency Management, Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety, St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany Medical Center and Ellis Hospital.
“In this time of great need and uncertainty, it only makes sense that we all do our part. These supplies are important to the education of all of our students, but they are more important now in stemming the spread of this pandemic,” said Paula Negri, principal of the Capital Region BOCES Adult Health Careers Center.
Negri credited faculty and staff members Walter Haynesworth, Amanda Romero, Maureen Consentino and Anne Twilley along with facilities staff Will Armstrong with spearheading the effort.
“With many of us being nurses, we all understand the tremendous stress our medical providers are under. It only makes sense to help the medical providers of the region in their time of great need,” Negri said. “It’s great that our component districts could join in this effort as we all work to end this pandemic and bring about a brighter, healthier future.”
The donations collected and distributed just from the Albany Practical Nursing program included:
- 20 boxes N-95 masks
- 10 disinfecting wipe canisters
- 80 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits compact
- 70 PPE sets
- 200 bouffant caps
- 26 boxes hand sanitizer wipes
- 36 face shields
- Eight boxes of surgical masks
- Three large jugs dial soap
- 20 XXL gowns
- One case alcohol prep pads 20 boxes/case 200/box
- 34 boxes alcohol prep pads 200/box
- 25 goggles
- One electronic thermometer + probe covers
- Eight digital thermometers + probe covers
- 30 oral thermometers + probe covers
- 200 boxes of protective gloves
Dozens more boxes of supplies were donated by Cohoes, Mohonasen, Bethlehem and Schalmont schools, as well as the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical School high school programs.
Previously, BOCES joined with the Middleburgh and Schoharie central school districts to provide boxes of N-95 masks, wipes, personal protective equipment kids, disinfecting clothes, hand sanitizers, medical gowns, alcohol prep pads, latex gloves and more donated to Schoharie EMS and Cobleskill Regional Hospital.
“BOCES, by definition is about cooperation and collaboration. There is never a greater need for both than in time of crisis. I am proud of the efforts of everybody to help those on the front lines of this battle,” said Negri.
